Hot and Bothered

Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam have arrived at Rosings, bringing a little fun and intrigue to the Collins party. Colonel Fitzwilliam proves to be a charming new acquaintance while Darcy continues to be his awkward self. Vanessa and Lauren discuss whether Darcy and Lizzy are flirting yet and Lady Catherine’s narcissism.  Margaret H. Willison joins us at the end of the episode to discuss the...

We're taking a brief break from Pride and Prejudice, to read one of the most popular romance books of our current moment: It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover. Vanessa is joined by former co-host of Twilight in Quarantine, Julia Argy, to dive into the novel. Together they discuss the abuse narrative in the text, the love story at the heart of it, and why they think this book is having a moment. This...

The Hunsford party is invited to Rosings in Chapter 29 of Pride and Prejudice. Lizzy finally has the chance to meet the much-discussed Lady Catherine de Bourgh and must answer all of her impertinent questions. Vanessa and Lauren discuss whether to read Lady Catherine generously and what she reflects about the power of the rich. Dr. Hannah McGregor joins us at the end of the episode to discuss sent...

Lizzy Bennet hits the road in Chapters 26 and 28 of Pride and Prejudice. Change is in the air in Hertfordshire – Wickham is pursuing something new, Jane is with her aunt and uncle in London, and Lizzy heads to Hunsford to see “the happy couple” (that is to say, Charlotte and Collins). In this episode, Vanessa and Lauren explore the difference between Charlotte and Wickham and role of ‘lo...

We're in the middle of a Patreon drive here on Hot and Bothered, trying to increase our membership to 1000 patrons. One of the wonderful things you can find on our Patreon is extended interviews with experts! We're making this conversation with the brilliant Claudia Johnson public so you get a sense of what that perk sounds like. Claudia Johnson is the Murray Professor of English Literature at Pri...

Jane and Elizabeth have a heart to heart about Bingley in Chapters 24 and 25 of Pride and Prejudice. Caroline has written Jane a letter saying that her party won’t be returning to Netherfield. But you know who is in town? Everyone’s favorite Aunt and Uncle: Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. In this episode, Vanessa and Lauren continue their conversations about class, love, and marriage and look closely...

After Elizabeth’s refusal, Mr. Collins quickly turns his attention to Charlotte Lucas in Chapters 21 through 23 of Pride and Prejudice. And Lizzy isn’t the only Bennet sister who is suddenly lacking a suitor – Mr. Bingley an his party have left for London with no promise of returning. In this episode, Vanessa and Lauren explore Charlotte’s approach to marriage and poor Jane’s broken heart. Dr...

Mr. Collins finally makes his move in Chapters 19 and 20 of of Pride and Prejudice. He pulls Lizzy aside for his grand proposal… and can’t seem to understand it when Lizzy flatly refuses. Vanessa and Lauren explore different readings of Collins in this scene and discuss the ways that Pride and Prejudice offers a mirror for modern feminist readers.  Dr. Talia Schaffer joins us at the end of th...

We're taking a quick break from reading Pride and Prejudice to watch the 2005 movie adaptation with one of our favorite podcasts, Veronica Mars Investigations . Vanessa is joined by Helen Zaltzman and Jenny Owen Youngs to dig through the movie, comparing it along the way to the BBC mini-series and, of course, the original text. They ask important questions like: How does Elizabeth hear Darcy's ins...

It’s time for the Netherfield Ball in Chapters 17 and 18 of Pride and Prejudice . Mr. Darcy finally asks Lizzy to dance and the whole Bennet family seems to be on a mission to embarrass themselves in front of everyone. Vanessa and Lauren discuss the undercurrent of class privilege that surrounds balls in general and Lizzy’s prejudice around Darcy specifically. Dr. Amanda Calhoun joins us at the en...

Last month, a new Pride and Prejudice adaptation dropped – Fire Island directed by Andrew Ahn. As your go-to place for all things Pride and Prejudice, we felt it was our duty to watch the film and report back on how it compares to the original. And we were lucky enough to get Tobin Low, the co-creator of the Nancy podcast and current editor at This American Life , in the studio to break it all dow...

A new love interest has hit the scene in Chapters 15 and 16 of Pride and Prejudice. The handsome Mr. Wickham has caught Lizzy’s eye, and he has quite the story to tell about Darcy. Vanessa and Lauren discuss their first impressions of Wickham and what it means to trust a stranger.  Dr. Mary Jean Corbett joins us at the end of the episode to discuss the British marriage law and customs that su...

We're cross-posting this special episode of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, which we've released today. This year in commemoration of Juneteenth, Not Sorry is spotlighting The Final 5 Campaign , a coalition working to close the final five youth prisons in Illinois. Vanessa is joined in conversation by one of their leaders, Alicia Brown, who tells us about what it means to be a prison abolitionis...

Mr. Collins, the Bennets’ horrible cousin, has arrived at Longbourn in Chapters 13 and 14 of Pride and Prejudice . Vanessa and Lauren dig into Collins as a religious figure and the impact of his sermonizing on the Bennet daughters. Dr. Sandra Macpherson joins us at the end of the episode to discuss the entail and British land law. Our next episode is on July 1st and we'll meet another exciting cha...

With Jane sick upstairs, Elizabeth is stuck navigating the drawing room at Netherfield in chapters 9 through 12 of Pride and Prejudice. Vanessa and Lauren discuss the influence of The Enlightenment on Austen, continue their discussion about Caroline Bingley, and evaluate the budding chemistry between Elizabeth and Darcy. Nell Stevens joins us at the end of the episode to discuss the ‘mean gir...

Poor Jane Bennet has caught a cold in the rain in Chapters 7 + 8 of Pride and Prejudice. Vanessa and Lauren discuss Darcy’s moral compass, the value of reading, and the prototypical ‘mean girl' – Caroline Bingley.  Thanks to Dr. Tim Fulford for speaking to us this week about the military context of Austen’s England. Our next episode is on May 27th and we'll hunker down in the Netherfield parl...

The Lucases take center stage in Chapters 5+6 of Pride and Prejudice . Vanessa and Lauren discuss the friendship between Charlotte and Lizzy and the way that historical and cultural ideas around masculinity might affect how we read Darcy.  Thanks to Dr. Kate Fullagar for speaking to us this week about notions of savagery in 18th century England. Our next episode is on May 20th and we'll trave...

It’s time for the Assembly Ball and Bingley and Darcy are on the scene in Chapters 3 and 4 of Pride and Prejudice . Vanessa and Lauren discuss Darcy’s famously bad first impression on Lizzy as well as the socio-political dynamics of a ball in the 19th century and today. Our next episode is out on May 6th and we'll spend some time with Charlotte Lucas in chapters 5+6! --- Don't spend your daughter'...

Vanessa and Lauren dive into Pride and Prejudice , starting with a close look at Chapters 1 and 2. They discuss the famous first line of the book, the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and the brief glimpse of Lizzie we get in this chapter.   Our next episode is on April 22nd and we'll get our first glimpse of Mr. Darcy in chapters 3+4. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

Pride and Prejudice is one of the most famous and beloved novels of all time. It’s also, in many ways, the foundational text of the Romance genre. In our quest to unravel the gifts, mysteries, and inner workings of romance literature, it seemed only right that we turn to Lizzy and Darcy next. But before we jump into the first chapters, a few questions need to be answered. Questions like: Who is Ja...

Welcome to our new season, where we're coming to you Live from Pemberley ! Starting March 25th, Vanessa and Lauren will dive into Pride and Prejudice , investigating its power and legacy in the Romance genre and our hearts. This is your hand-lettered formal invitation to join us! Pack your corsets and pack your bait (because I hear if you're nice enough, Darcy might even invite you to fish on his...

Throughout our season of On Eyre , we've given you some small glimpses into the life of Charlotte Brontë. You probably know that she came from a literary family, that she attended a school very like Lowood, and that she died young. But before we put Jane Eyre back on the shelf, we wanted to spend some more time with dear Charlotte and her life in Haworth. This episode we're joined by the incredibl...

After visiting the land of Jane Eyre films, we’re returning to modern book adaptations with Re Jane by Patricia Park . We’re lucky enough to be joined by Patricia Park herself to discuss her feelings about "Reader I married him", how she re-imagined Bertha, and how her own experiences visiting Korea informed the book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the wonderful women of the Heaving Bosoms podcast invited Vanessa on their show, we couldn't resist roping them in to our Jane Eyre adaptation project! This week, in a crossover episode, Vanessa, Erin, and Melody watch the 2011 film adaptation of Jane Eyre. P.S. There's a lot of talk about Vanessa's book, Praying with Jane Eyre, in this episode. If you have yet to purchase your copy, just a r...

When Jean Rhys published Wide Sargasso Sea in 1966, she took on a question we’ve been asking a lot throughout this podcast: what about Bertha? This episode, we are lucky enough to be joined by Dr. Erica L. Johnson, co-editor of Wide Sargasso Sea at 50  and Jean Rhys: Twenty-First Century Perspectives to discuss the book. From Dr. Johnson, we learn about Rhy’s life, how to categorize and think...